“Americans are very nice. They like to volunteer and help people. Why?”
When I needed to contact a local orphanage so I could volunteer there, I had the man at the front desk of my Chiang Mai guesthouse help me make the call. After I finished, he just kept saying that I was so nice to want to volunteer. I laughed and disagreed. Then, he remembered that the two American girls who’d checked in the night before were working with NGOs in the area and said I should speak to them. That’s when he made the above comment.
I personally choose to volunteer because I believe I can make a difference. I believe that everyone in life deserves a fair go, but that the equality of getting it is rarely there. And, I guess at the deepest root of it all, I believe the meaning of life is to make others’ lives better. But he didn’t ask why I volunteered. He asked why Americans do.
So I thought for a while and tried to piece together what influenced me and what might be in our culture that makes us want to say “I’ll help!” Trying as best as I could to answer his question, I said that it might be partially due to the strong history of missionary work in the US. Even if a lot of American volunteers nowadays weren’t Christian or religious, missionaries paved the way for our society’s belief in helping others. He nodded and mentioned that there are a lot of American missionaries here, too, and had been in the past as well.
Later that night, I tried to think of other things that may influence the number of American volunteers he sees; I know that some westerners also knowingly or unknowingly prescribe to the idea of “white man’s burden,” which can influence how/where people choose to volunteer. And then there’s the whole impact of 9/11…which, if NGO application numbers (like those of Teach For America) are any indication, definitely influenced a generation to help others. And, of course, there’s always the desire to travel to far-off places, and volunteering along the way is a way to dissuade any guilt or comments from others (or get a long-term visa).
But that’s about where my train of thought has ended. Although I know there are actually hundreds of possible reasons. Do you have your own theory? Any sociological thoughts you’d like to volunteer are definitely welcome.
